NEW YORK -- General Motors is considering a four-cylinder engine for the new Chevrolet Camaro as a response to rising fuel prices.

Speaking on the sidelines of the New York auto show, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said the drivetrain under consideration for the Camaro is the same high-performance one used in the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters. It’s a 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder rated at 260 hp. Lutz said that if fuel prices continue to climb, the four-cylinder Camaro could see production.

GM has said it plans V8 and V6 versions of the Camaro but otherwise has been secretive. Lutz confirmed that the V6 version of the Camaro will be powered by the same high-tech V6 used in the Cadillac CTS. It’s a direct-injected, 3.6-liter four-cam V6. In the CTS, the engine is rated at 304 hp.

Low-priced version droppedIn the Camaro, the 3.6 liter’s horsepower should be around 260, Lutz said, Fuel economy, he said, will be around 17 mpg city and 25 highway. That would place the V6 Camaro among best in class for a performance car.

Lutz said GM has dropped plans to offer a low-priced, entry-level Camaro with one of GM’s low-tech V6s. GM will position both the V6 and V8 versions of the Camaro as premium cars compared to the Camaro’s chief rival, the Ford Mustang.

The base model Mustang uses a 4.0-liter overhead-cam V6 rated at 210 hp. The base model Dodge Challenger, due in the fall, will use a 250-hp, 3.5-liter V6.

Most enthusiast attention has focused on the Camaro’s V8 engine, which is likely to be a 6.0-liter with about 400 hp. Lutz said the V8 will have a cylinder cutoff system that shuts down half the engine when the car reaches cruising speed. That will help it get better fuel economy.

But Lutz said he thinks most buyers will opt for the V6 because the performance will be strong, especially when the engine is combined with a manual transmission.

“Back in the old days, if you wanted a muscle car, to get a decent one, you had to buy the V8,” Lutz said. “And if you bought the V6, you got a fairly rough, unrefined pushrod engine with low horsepower and weasely performance.

“This time, the V6 is 260-odd horsepower, four overhead cams, very smooth and decent 0-to-60-mph times. And now the V6 is in its own right a very fast, very legitimate car.”

'We are going to be above Mustang'Lutz said that with the V6, the Camaro achieves a nearly perfect 50-50 weight distribution: “With the V6, it is not a heavy car. The Camaro will be a very lively and engaging car,” he said.

Lutz would not talk specifically about the Camaro’s pricing. The car is scheduled to go on sale next February as a 2009 (?) model, but Lutz did say GM views the Camaro as better equipped than the Mustang, and the price will be higher.

The Mustang V6 coupe has a base price of $20,235. The V8 GT coupe begins at $26,825. Both prices include shipping.

“We are going to be above Mustang,” Lutz said. “We have a very sophisticated suspension system and, frankly, a much nicer interior. We are not going to try and match the Mustang on price. We are going to be premium-priced compared to the Mustang.”

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"Let the rest of the world dream of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and dinky little British two-seaters. In this country speed doesn't look like that." Got SS?

As odd as this concept of a 4 cylinder Camaro may be to swallow for some, I think we'll all just have to get over it and accept that this is part of the compromise we as buyers of high-performance enthusiast cars will have to make, and I guarantee you that through all the bitching and moaning we will. This IS the future.

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"Let the rest of the world dream of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and dinky little British two-seaters. In this country speed doesn't look like that." Got SS?

Hmm, I'm not as intrigued about the motor info as I am about the pricing. GM originally wanted to sell 100,000+ Camaros annually priced about the same as Mustang, now what? How much is the "premium" gonna cost us?

260 4, or 260 V6...does it really matter? It's not like Camaro has never had a 4 cyllinder before. THAT's not what worries me...what make my eye twitch a little is how much more Bob is expecting the Camaro to be than the Mustang.

Better equipped, and better interior is all well and good. And Congrats for that, really!

But what's that gonna cost me? Premium, in fancy talk just means 'more'. 28,000 is more than a Mustang for a starting price. And that will be great, afaic....Anybody got thoughts on that?

i mean seriously a four cylinder camaro? give me a break, if this should be what happens i will lose all respect towards this car. and if this happens the same thing that happened to the nova will happen to the camaro.

i mean seriously a four cylinder camaro? give me a break, if this should be what happens i will lose all respect towards this car. and if this happens the same thing that happened to the nova will happen to the camaro.

260 4, or 260 V6...does it really matter? It's not like Camaro has never had a 4 cyllinder before. THAT's not what worries me...what make my eye twitch a little is how much more Bob is expecting the Camaro to be than the Mustang.

Better equipped, and better interior is all well and good. And Congrats for that, really!

But what's that gonna cost me? Premium, in fancy talk just means 'more'. 28,000 is more than a Mustang for a starting price. And that will be great, afaic....Anybody got thoughts on that?

NO my good sir this is NOT AMERICAN MUSCLE i hardly (no offense) consider the v-6 camaro AMERICAN MUSCLE

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevyforlife

i mean seriously a four cylinder camaro? give me a break, if this should be what happens i will lose all respect towards this car. and if this happens the same thing that happened to the nova will happen to the camaro.

With all due respect: you guys are basing your judgments just off of the number of cylinders under the hood, not the potential and numerous benefits that can be had. It's not a FWD Camaro, it's a RWD Camaro with a slightly a still very powerful, capable and even more efficient engine. Like it or not, this is something we'll all have to accept.

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"Let the rest of the world dream of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and dinky little British two-seaters. In this country speed doesn't look like that." Got SS?

Times are changing. If you expected to never see a 4banger Camaro again, you were fooling yourself, frankly.

I stress to you: Do not underestimate this car simply because it will include a 4 cyllinder engine in it's lineup.

The V6, and the V8 will MORE than meet the needs of everyone here. And they will be prices close the the stang's version of such models. so a 300hp V6 for ~22-23k. Are you really gonna complain about that? Really? Why worry about a 4 cyllinder edition that you wouldn't buy anyways?

The inclusion of an I4 does NOT diminish the car's muscle/pony/sports car status. If anything, it enhances it. No, hear me out: What other sports car (of the three) could appeal to those who want a 4? None. This is a step up on the competition as much as it is a step down in some of your minds. It will assist the Camaro's sales, so that you and I can have our V8's.

There is much more to be gained by this revelation that not.

Please, don't worry. This is one of those times where you are really tested in your ability to keep the faith. From all the way up to Rick Wagoner, people in GM are as excited as us about this car. They WILL NOT fail us.

Times are changing. If you expected to never see a 4banger Camaro again, you were fooling yourself, frankly.

I stress to you: Do not underestimate this car simply because it will include a 4 cyllinder engine in it's lineup.

The V6, and the V8 will MORE than meet the needs of everyone here. And they will be prices close the the stang's version of such models. so a 300hp V6 for ~22-23k. Are you really gonna complain about that? Really? Why worry about a 4 cyllinder edition that you wouldn't buy anyways?

The inclusion of an I4 does NOT diminish the car's muscle/pony/sports car status. If anything, it enhances it. No, hear me out: What other sports car (of the three) could appeal to those who want a 4? None. This is a step up on the competition as much as it is a step down in some of your minds. It will assist the Camaro's sales, so that you and I can have our V8's.

There is much more to be gained by this revelation that not.

Please, don't worry. This is one of those times where you are really tested in your ability to keep the faith. From all the way up to Rick Wagoner, people in GM are as excited as us about this car. They WILL NOT fail us.

well i'm gonna upgrade to the turbo ss cobalt once i get my sport paid off then i'll stomp on yall lol

i mean theres nothing wrong with four cylinders but i think it should be for the cobalts. i think that a a v-6 is fast and i have proof. my mom drives a 2002 pontiac grand am gt and it would smoke almost any v-8 car in town. so i dont have a problem with it, its just that change is good but i hate change. i hope ppl see the way i see things.

Hmm, I'm not as intrigued about the motor info as I am about the pricing. GM originally wanted to sell 100,000+ Camaros annually priced about the same as Mustang, now what? How much is the "premium" gonna cost us?

Agreed. It seemed like before they said all along that they would be competing with the Mustang on price. The car isn't even finished yet and they're already conceding that point. While the die-hard fans like us will pay the premium for the Camaro, the hundreds of thousands of generic consumers probably won't. If they want a 'premium' sportscar, they'll look at the Corvette. This could be the beginning of a slippery slope...

Times are changing. If you expected to never see a 4banger Camaro again, you were fooling yourself, frankly.

I stress to you: Do not underestimate this car simply because it will include a 4 cyllinder engine in it's lineup.

The V6, and the V8 will MORE than meet the needs of everyone here. And they will be prices close the the stang's version of such models. so a 300hp V6 for ~22-23k. Are you really gonna complain about that? Really? Why worry about a 4 cyllinder edition that you wouldn't buy anyways?

The inclusion of an I4 does NOT diminish the car's muscle/pony/sports car status. If anything, it enhances it. No, hear me out: What other sports car (of the three) could appeal to those who want a 4? None. This is a step up on the competition as much as it is a step down in some of your minds. It will assist the Camaro's sales, so that you and I can have our V8's.

There is much more to be gained by this revelation that not.

Please, don't worry. This is one of those times where you are really tested in your ability to keep the faith. From all the way up to Rick Wagoner, people in GM are as excited as us about this car. They WILL NOT fail us.

I think my biggest concern with the statement is the pricing. Then again who know's maybe this was taken out of context. I'm not going to read into the pricing thing too much now. The G8 is priced less than 30K for the GT so I would think that's a better scale to judge how the Camaro may be priced. Every new vehicle that GM has come out with lately has been a higher scale and better quality than most of their competition yet the pricing has remained very competative and even better in some cases.